Method of making protective and reinforcing book cover

ABSTRACT

A cover to be placed over the flexible cover page of a book, such as a telephone book, for protecting and reinforcing same comprises a planar envelope having an outer surface of greater width than the surface to be placed on the inside of the flexible cover page, and a reinforcing board member disposed within the envelope. A strip of adhesive material is provided on the inside surface of the overlapping portion of the outer sheet for securing the protective and reinforcing cover to the flexible cover page. Two of such protective and reinforcing covers may be employed on a soft cover book, and since the protective and reinforcing covers are secured to the flexible cover pages of the book, the indicia or the like on the seam or spine of the book is not obstructed. In the method of making a cover, two folded sheets are joined by a strip of adhesive material and then encased in an outer cover, after which the resulting structure is cut along the length of the adhesive material to form two covers.

Carter et a1.

[ Oct. 28, 1975 METHOD OF MAKING PROTECTIVE AND REINFORCING BOOK COVER Inventors: Leewood C. Carter, Warren Township, Somerset County; Edward K. Mullen, Westfield, both of NJ.

Assignee: Book Covers, Inc., Newark, NJ.

Filed: Mar. 22, 1973 Appl. No.: 343,742

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser No. 205,856, Dec. 8,

1971, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 156/217; 11/2; 156/196; 156/227; 156/250; 156/304; 281/34 [51] Int. Cl. B29D 23/10; B42C 15/00; B42D 3/04 [58] Field of Search 281/34, 20, 37, 29; ll/2, ll/3, 4; 156/196, 204, 216, 227, 250, 297, 300, 477 B, 217, 304

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 852,761 5/1907 Bodine 11/2 2,551,784 5/1951 Bauer 1 281/34 2,970,634 2/1961 l-lantscho 11/2 2,977,271 3/1961 Lutwack 156/216 3,133,750 5/1964 Gerald 281/34 3,241,863 3/1966 Paddock 281/29 3,483,965 12/1969 Rosenblatt et a1. 281/34 3,572,767 3/1971 Learned et a1 281/34 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 311,988 5/1929 United Kingdom 281/20 Primary Examiner-Charles E, Van Horn Assistant ExaminerBasil J. Lewris Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Thomas M. Marshall, Esq.

57 ABSTRACT A cover to be placed over the flexible cover page of a book, such as a telephone book, for protecting and reinforcing same comprises a planar envelope having an outer surface of greater width than the surface to be placed on the inside of the flexible cover page, and a reinforcing board member disposed within the envelope. A strip of adhesive material is provided on the inside surface of the overlapping portion of the outer sheet for securing the protective and reinforcing cover to the flexible cover page. Two of such protective and reinforcing covers may be employed on a soft cover book, and since the protective and reinforcing covers are secured to the flexible cover pages of the book, the indicia -or the like on the seam or spine of the book is not obstructed. In the method of making a cover, two folded sheets are joined by a strip of adhesive material and then encased in an outer cover, after which the resulting structure is cut along the length of the adhesive material to form two covers.

4 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures METHOD OF MAKING PROTECTIVE AND REINFORCING BOOK COVER This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 205,856 filed Dec. 8, 1971 by Leewood C. Carter and Edward K. Mullen, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a method of making a protective and reinforcing cover for a soft cover book, and more particularly, a unique book cover for use on the front or back of a book without requiring a separate attachment strip or adhesive strip extending around the exterior of the spine of the book.

Heretofore, book covers for reinforcing and protecting the soft cover pages of large books, such as telephone books, generally comprised the combination of front and back covers, and an adhesive strip which is intended to extend around the entire spine of the book for connecting the front cover to the rear cover, while simultaneously being connected to the spine portion of the book. In addition to obstructing the indicia normally placed on the spine of a book, the additional attachment strip limits the versatility of the book cover in that such book covers could not be used in books wherein the thickness of the book can be varied. Furthermore, the combination of the covers, and a separate adhesive strip increases the cost and time required to install the book cover.

Other forms of protective book covers are in the form of a transparent flexible plastic sheet'which is attached along one edge to a narrow strip forming arms or flaps adapted to fold over the front or rear page of a soft book cover book. However, in this type of construction, the plastic sheet is connected to the cover by means of the folded over flaps, and accordingly does not provide reinforcement of the front cover. As a result, there is a tendency of the spine of the soft cover book to tear along the connection of the jacket to the front cover of the book.

It is also'known in the art to provide a reinforcing member for a soft-back book herein a sheet of stiff reinforcement material is bonded to the inside of the front cover of a soft-back book. However, no protection is provided for the front face of the book cover.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved method for making a protective and reinforcing book cover.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved method as mentioned heretofore, wherein two sheets of relatively stiff material are folded, and subsequently joined by means of a double stick adhesive tape, after which the entire structure is enclosed in a casing material, and the structure is cut along the length of the adhesive strip thereby forming two protective and reinforcing covers.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by means of a protective and reinforcing cover which is in the form of a plain envelope that is of generally rectangular shape, and secured along three edges so that the open edge is adapted to received the flexible cover page of the book. The envelope includes an outer sheet generally corresponding in size to the size of the flexible cover page, with the inner sheet being of lesser width whereby an overlapping strip of the outer sheet extends beyond the inner sheet. A strip of adhesive material is formed on the overlapping strip of the outer sheet on the inside surface thereof contiguous to the flexible cover page for securing the protective and reinforcing cover to the front face of the flexible cover page. Accordingly, no portion of the protective and reinforcing cover extends onto the spine portion of the book so as to obstruct the indicia normally found on the book. In a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, the planar envelope is formed by one opaque sheet and one transparent sheet of plastic material, with the two sheets being heat sealed along three sides, and a reinforcing board member is disposed withinthe envelope for providing stiffness to the flexible cover page. The flexible cover of the book, e.g., a telephone book, may be inserted between the reinforcing board and the layer or sheet of transparent plastic material. The outside opaque layer of plastic material projects beyond the inside layer (in the width direction) and includes an adhesive strip, e.g., double stick adhesive tape, attached to the inside surface thereof along the open side of the envelope. The protective and reinforcing coveris secured to the telephone book cover by the double stick tape, thereby leaving the spine portion of the telephone book' visible for identification. By this arrangement, the printed matter found on the inside cover of the telephone book is transparent through the transparent inner sheet of the protective and reinforcing cover.

In a method of making a protective and reinforcing book cover according to the subject invention, two reinforcing covers may be made in one operation by folding two sheets of material, joining the folded sheets together by means of an adhesive tape, and enclosing the two folded sheet members in an outer cover utilizing a conventional casemaking machine. Subsequently, the resultant encased structure is cut along the adhesive strip thereby forming two reinforceing and protective covers.

A more detailed description of the invention follows, in conjunction with the following FIGS. wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the protective and reinforcing cover of the subject invention preparatory t being affixed to a soft cover book; 40 FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along'line 22 in FIG. 1, and illustrating a cross-section of the protective and reinforcing cover of the subject invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial sectional view illustrating the assembly of the protective and reinforcing cover of the subject invention and a soft coverbook;

FIG. 4a-4e illustrate the steps in manufacturing a protective and reinforcing cover of the subject inven- I tion;

FIG. 4f is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4f-4f in FIG. 4c; and

FIG. 4g is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4g-4g in FIG. 4e.. 7

Turning to FIGS. 1 through 3, the'protective and reinforcing cover of the subject invention is generally designated by the numeral 10, and is adapted to be affixed to the flexible front page or cover 11 of a soft cover book, such as a telephone book 12. Telephone book 12 comprises the flexible front page 11, a flexible back page 13, and a book block 14, all ofwhich are joined along a common spine or back edge 15. As is common in telephone books, the identification of the telephone book is imprinted on the spine 15, and it is particularly desirable that the protective and reinforcing cover not obstruct the indicia found on the spine.

The protective orreinforcing cover 10 is in the form of a planar envelope, including an outer layer or sheet 20 connected along three edges, A, B, C to an inner sheet or layer 21. Preferably, the outer sheet 20 is opaque and of a decorative color, while the inner sheet 21 is made of clear plastic material, with the bonded edges A, B, C being effected by heat sealing. The outer opaque sheet 20 is of greater width than the inner transparent sheet 21 so as to define a strip of overlapping material, designated by the numeral 22 which extends along the entire length of the planar envelope. Affixed to the inside surface of the overlapping strip 22 is an adhesive material, such as double stick tape 24. In addition, the protective and reinforcing cover includes a removable, reinforcing board 25 which generally corresponds to the size of the inner sheet 21 and is positioned within the planar envelope.

1 FIG. 3 illustrates the protective and reinforcing cover 10 mounted on the flexible front page 11 of telephone book 12. The flexible front page 11 is slipped into the planar envelope, between the intermediate reinforcing board 25 and the inner transparent sheet 21. After the flexible front cover 11 is fully inserted into the planar envelope, the adhesive tape 24 is applied by pressure against the front face of the flexible front page 11 so as to secure the protective and reinforcing cover to said front page. As clearly illustrated in FIG. 3, no portion of the protective and reinforcing cover extends onto the spine or back edge 15 of the telephone book, whereby identification of the telephone book is readily apparent. In addition, the indicia normally found on the inner surface of page 11 is readily readable through the transparent sheet 21.

From the above, it is readily apparent that the protective or reinforcing cover of the subject invention provides a new and unique structure for mounting onto a flexible front page of a soft cover book, without interferring with the spine portion of the book. The provision of the inner reinforcing board provides regidity to the overall book structure, thereby increasing its wearability and ruggedness.

Furthermore, the use of plastic sheet materials for the opaque sheet 21 and the transparent sheet protects the book cover against damage by moisture.

FIGS. 4a through 4g illustrate a method of making a protective and reinforcing cover of the subject invention, wherein the outer and inner sheets 20 and 21 are formed by folding a large sheet of reinforcing material, such as cardboard. In the method, two reinforcing and protecting covers 10 may be made in one operation. As illustrated in FIG. 4a, each sheet of reinforcing material 40 is perforated along a line 41 which is offset from the center of the width of sheet 40 whereby the panel E of each sheet 40 is slightly greater in width than the panel F. In FIG. 4b, the larger panel E is shown folded over the panel F, after which the two panels F are joined by a strip of adhesive material such as double stick tape 42. Referring to FIGS. 4c, 4d and 4f the composite structure of the adhesive tape 42 and the two folded sheets 40,40 are then processed through a conventional case-making machine, the type well-known to the book making industry, whereby the two folded boards 40 are encasedwithin a cover 43, having overlapping portions 44, 45, 46 so as to effectively form the planar envelope connected by the lower portion 47 of cover 43 (see FIGS. 40 and 4f).

The final step in the method is to sever or slit the adhesive tape 42 along its length thereby resulting in two protective and reinforcing covers 10. FIGS. 42 and 4g illustrate the resulting protective and reinforcing cover,

it being noted that the larger panel E extends beyond the panel F, and that the adhesive tape 42 is not obstructed by the panel E in order to enable the tape to be bonded to the flexible front page of a soft cover book. Since the panels E and F are made of a reinforcing material, the resulting protective and reinforcing cover illustrated in FIGS. 42 and 4g does not require the addition of a reinforcing board. However, as clearly illustrated in FIGS. 4F and 43 the resulting cover comprises a planar envelope defined by the panel E and the cover 43, with a reinforcing board member defined by panel F being disposed within the envelope. In addition the resulting cover includes an adhesive strip.

Thus, there is described a new and improved rein forcing and protective cover for use with soft-cover books. The reinforcing and protective cover includes adhesive means, whereby a separate attachment strip, as found in the prior art, is not required, thereby decreasing the cost of the protective and reinforcing cover, and also decreasing the time required for installation of the cover. Furthermore, the protective and reinforcing cover of the subject invention does not obstruct or cover the spine portion of the book. This provides two important advantages, first the indicia normally found on the spine portion of the book is not obstructed, and secondly the protective and reinforcing cover is not subjected to constant bending upon opening and closing of the book, thereby increasing the ruggedness and the durability of the subject protective and reinforcing cover.

In addition, a new and improved method for making a reinforcing and protective cover of the type described in the invention has also been disclosed.

Although preferred embodiments of the subject invention have been described hereinabove, it will be understood that other embodiments readily apparent to those skilled in the art are contemplated to be within the scope of this invention. For example, both the outer 20 and inner 21 sheets may be made of clear plastic material when it is desired to expose the indicia on both sides of the flexible cover page.

What is claimed is: l. A method of making a protective and reinforcing cover comprising the steps of:

folding two sheets of sheet material about offset cen ter lines so that each sheet has an upper, overlapping flap portion and a lower panel portion of smaller width dimension than said flap portion;

placing said sheets in spaced relationship with their edges being opposite each other whereby the overlapping flap portions are generally parallel, and with the overlapping flap portions being on the upperside thereof and such that each opposed pair of edges which are perpendicular to said offset center lines are in colinear relationship;

applying a single strip of adhesive material to the lower panel portions of the two spaced folded sheets along the shorter lengths thereof thereby connecting said lower portions;

encasing said two sheets of sheet material within an encasement structure; and

slitting the resulting encased structure along the longitudinal length of said adhesive strip to define two separate, and distinct protective and reinforcing covers.

6 2. A method of making a protective and reinforcing extends around three sides of each sheet material. cover as in claim 1 wherein said sheets of sheet material 4. A method of making a protective and reinforcing are made of cardboard. cover as in claim 1 wherein the strip of adhesive mate- 3. A method of making a protective and reinforcing rial comprises double stick tape. cover as in claim 1 wherein said encasement structure 5 

1. A METHOD OF MAKING A PROTECTIVE AND REINFORCING COVER COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: FOLDING TWO SHEETS OF SHEET MATERIAL ABOUT OFFSET CENTER LINES SO THAT EACH SHEET HAS AN UPPER, OVERLAPPING FLAP PORTION AND A LOWER PANEL PORTION OF SMALLER WIDTH DIMENSION THAN SAID FLAP PORTION, PLACING SHEET IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR EDGES BEING OPPOSITE EACH OTHER WHEREBY THE OVERLAPPING FLAP PORTIONS ARE GENERALLY PARALLEL, AND WITH THE OVERLAPPING FLAP PORTION BEING ON THE UPPER SIDE THEREOF ANDD SUCH THAT EACH OPPOSED PAIR OF EDGES WHICH ARE PERPENDICULAR TO SAID OFFSET CENTER LINES ARE IN COLINEAR RELATION SHIP, APPLYING A SINGLE STRIP OF ADHESIVE MATERIAL TO THE LOWER PANEL PORTIONS OF THE TWO SPACED FOLDED SHEETS ALONG THE SHORTER LENGTHS THEREOF THEREBY CONNECTING SAID LOWER PORTIONS, ENCASING SAID TWO SHEETS OF SHEET MATERIAL WITHIN AN ENCASEMENT STRUCTURE, AND SLITTING THE RESULTING ENCASED STRUCTURE ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL LENGTH OF SAID ADHESIVE STRIP TO DEFINE TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT PROTECTIVE AND REINFORCING COVERS.
 2. A method of making a protective and reinforcing cover as in claim 1 wherein said sheets of sheet material are made of cardboard.
 3. A method of making a protective and reinforcing cover as in claim 1 wherein said encAsement structure extends around three sides of each sheet material.
 4. A method of making a protective and reinforcing cover as in claim 1 wherein the strip of adhesive material comprises double stick tape. 